Synopsis: Miscommunications, mistranslations and missed opportunities. As the world celebrates the Year of Indigenous Languages, state decision makers, Hawaiian language speakers and community advocates have passed up a chance to add critical and long overdue statutory protections for Hawai‘i’s own indigenous language and the Hawaiian language community in the state’s 30th legislative session.
He wahi kānaenae aloha wale nō ka‘u e waiho aku nei i mua o ‘oukou, e o‘u mau makamaka heluhelu, nā mea ho‘i e pūlama mau i ka ‘ōlelo makuahine a kākou. ‘Oiai he au hou kēia, a he nui a‘e nā ala a me nā wahi like ‘ole e kama‘ilio ai kekahi i kekahi, ke emi mai nei nō na‘e ko kākou ‘ōlelo pū ‘ana. Aia nō ka mana a me ka lanakila i ke alu like ‘ana mai o kākou. Hai kūmaumau ē, hai kūwā!
I ka ho‘omaka ‘ana o kēia kau ‘aha‘ōlelo, holo a‘ela he ‘ehā a ‘elima paha bila kānāwai i mea e ho‘ōla mau ai i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. I loko o ia mau pila, he mau ho‘ololi ‘ana i nā kānāwai ‘o HRS §1-13 a me HRS §1-13.5. ‘O ia nō nā kānāwai no ka ‘ōlelo pili ‘oihana o ka Moku‘āina. Ma loko o kekahi bila, ua koi ‘ia ka Moku‘āina e ho‘onoho i mahele ‘ōlelo no ka po‘e ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma nā hale ho‘okolokolo, ka ‘aha‘ōlelo, a me nā papa hana aupuni; a ‘o kekahi, ua ho‘okomo pū ‘ia he koina e kākau ‘ia nā po‘o kuni a me nā palapala aupuni ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. He kūpono wale nō ia mau loli ‘ana no ka ho‘onui ‘ia a‘e o nā pono ‘ōlelo.
Eia mai kākou i waenakonu o ke kau ‘aha‘ōlelo o kēia makahiki, a he ho‘okahi wale nō bila kānāwai i koe no ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o SB701; a ua ho‘opane‘e ‘ia iho kēlā mau mea ‘ē a‘e. ‘O ka mea i koe, ‘a‘ole paha ia he pila e ho‘oponopono ‘ia ai nā hihia e waiho nei. He kōina wale na‘e ia e pāpā‘ōlelo ai kākou, ke kaiāulu, a e ho‘oholo ai i alahele no ka unuhi ‘ana mai i nā palapala aupuni like ‘ole.
Ma muli o ke kūkākūkā ‘ole o ka po‘e nāna i kākau ua mau bila nei me ke kaiāulu ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, ‘o ka uluhua ihola nō kā ia o ke kaiāulu. Wahi a kahiko, “Hili hewa kahi mana‘o ke ‘ole ke kūkākūkā.” ‘O ka mea nui, ‘a‘ole nō i mahalo ‘ia ka ho‘okomo ‘ana i nā ‘okina a me nā kahakō.
Ia‘u iho, maopopo le‘a ka mana‘o nui o nā ‘ao‘ao ‘elua: Eia na‘e, ‘o ua nīnau nei no ka ‘okina a me ke kahakō, ‘a‘ole nō ia ‘o ke kumuhana nui loa o ia mau bila kānāwai. Aia ma ia bila he mau pono ‘ōlelo i ‘oi aku nō paha ke ko‘iko‘i ma mua o nā mea e kū nei, akā ua kinai wale ‘ia. He minamina ‘i‘o nō ka nalowale ‘ana aku o ia mau pono i kēia kau ‘aha‘ōlelo. He ha‘awina nui a he ho‘omana‘o maika‘i kēia mau mea iā kākou a pau. Aia ka pono ‘o ka ‘āpono ‘ana i kēia bila no ke kūkulu ‘ana i kaia‘ōlelo. He pohō kona holo ‘ole.
E ka po‘e aloha nui i ka ‘ōlelo kumu o nēia pae moku aloha, i mea nō e mākaukau pono ai kākou no ke alu like ‘ana i kēia kau ‘aha‘ōlelo a‘e, e aho ka ‘ākoakoa mua ‘ana o kākou a kūkākūkā me ka nalu nui ‘ana i nā nīnau ho‘ōla ‘ōlelo. ‘O ia kūkā kama‘ilio ‘ana ka mea e holomua ai a kō ai ho‘i ko kākou mau pahuhopu a me nā ‘i‘ini.
E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ā leka iā māua, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Laiana Wong a me Kekeha Solis ma ka pahu leka uila ma lalo nei:
>> kwong@hawaii.edu
>> rsolis@hawaii.edu
a i ‘ole ia, ma ke kelepona:
>> 956-2627 (Laiana)
>> 956-2627 (Kekeha)
This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
